Friday, May 1, 2015

May flowers



Yesterday, while buying some flowers for a friend's housewarming, I came across two little girls with eager smiles and deep, searching eyes. As I stood inside the florist's air-conditioned shop, they were watching me keenly through the glass doors of the shop standing in the scorching sun outside. When the florist took the selected flowers out to chop off their stems and other straggly bits, the girls rushed towards him, pointing to the blood-red carnations in the bunch. I could tell from his hesitating smile that he had politely turned them down before stepping inside the shop to give the finishing touches to the bouquet. After I paid and was almost on my way out, I noticed the girls were still standing there with their faces pressed to the glass door, their gaze lingering longingly on the fresh-cut flowers in the buckets. Already late and a little bothered by how muggy it was for a day so bright, I rushed back and grabbed two yellow gerbera daisies, tossing a twenty-rupee note to the shop assistant. When I handed them each a daisy, the girls' puzzled faces lit up instantly breaking into broad, beaming smiles — a sparkle that outdid even the blazing noon sun. "Thank you, madam!", they chirped together in sing-song voices. I smiled and asked them to pose for a picture which they quite enthusiastically did. 
As I slammed the car door shut and turned on the air-condition, I realized how little it takes to make someone happy. A kind word here, a warm smile there  and that's how the world keeps spinning day after day, everyday. I also realized that, perhaps, in this unexpected exchange of smiles, I ended up being the happier one. Sure, they took the daisies home but I came back with a memory and much more.

In the wake of the very recent Nepal tragedy*, it is these little gestures of give-and-take that one must remember to share. Thousands of lives smothered under the rubble of now lost spaces, centuries' old temples and stupas battered into incoherent halves, priceless heritage pounded to nothingness, and villages 'flattened' beyond recognition — such horror of horrors!
Whenever the world is struck by a disaster, which, sadly, is so often these days, and I'm overwhelmed by a crumbling sense of doom, these lines come back to me again and again:  

"Because the world is so full of death and horror, I try again and again to console my heart and pick the flowers that grow in the midst of hell".

~ Hermann Hesse



*If you are interested to contribute to the Nepal relief efforts, here is a list of the organizations that are are soliciting donations. 

10 comments:

  1. My dear Suman, they are so beautiful! It's a wonderful post. We need more acts of kindness. And thank you for sharing this list of organizations for Nepal. It's a real tragedy. Hemann Hesse! Funny because I would like to read Siddhartha. It's on my wish list. Love

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    1. Thank you for the appreciation and for being a constant source of encouragement, my dear. Yes, the world needs more of it, regardless of how little or how much.
      I would like to read 'Siddhartha' too. There are just so many books!! :)
      Happy Friday.

      Love,
      Suman

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  2. Hello Suman,
    Lovely to see your post here today and how sweet and kind of you to gift the beautiful children with flowers. It is often better to give than to receive. We are very saddened of the horrific reports from Nepal. I love Hermann Hesse's quote, I shall remember it. Hope life is good with you and have a glorious weekend
    Helen xx

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    1. Dear Helen,
      Thank you so much for always dropping by, even though I've been terribly neglectful of the blog since the last few months. I hope to be regular soon.
      Yes, the giver also receives, isn't it?
      Loving your Irish tales and looking forward to more. Have a great weekend.

      Love,
      Suman

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  3. :) it is a beautiful thing to do...flowers, smiles, strangers, happiness.. :)

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    1. The best kind there is, isn't it?! Thanks for the love, dear girl. <3

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  4. Pretty girls with pretty flowers and the lovely gesture of another lovely girl ... your post surely makes me smile too as I feel thehappiness you must have felt....

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    1. Such kind words! Thanks a lot, Suchorita; glad this made you smile. :)

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  5. How delightful those two little girls are; you have a lovely memory but so have they, a memory of the kind lady who gave them each a beautiful flower.

    The tragedy in Nepal is sad almost beyond words; all the money in the world will not bring back the day before the earth shook. (that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all make a contribution in solidarity with those who have lost everything but their life)

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    1. And it's getting worse! Ever since I read about yesterday's aftershock, I've been thinking a lot about the elasticity of human tolerance. To what extent will one be able to push and pull it? And for what --- another earthquake?!

      Thank you so much for appreciating the smiles.
      Have a great week ahead.
      Xx

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